Free Practice Questions for Microsoft DP-600 Exam

In a Fabric Data Factory pipeline, to execute a stored procedure and make the returned values available for downstream activities, the Lookup activity is used. This activity can retrieve a dataset from a data store and pass it on for further processing. Here’s how you would use the Lookup activity in this context:

Add a Lookup activity to your pipeline.

Configure the Lookup activity to use the stored procedure by providing the necessary SQL statement or stored procedure name.

In the settings, specify that the activity should use the stored procedure mode.

Once the stored procedure executes, the Lookup activity will capture the results and make them available in the pipeline’s memory.

Downstream activities can then reference the output of the Lookup activity.

Comprehensive Detailed Explanation

We need to query a KQL database table named Readings to generate output that includes both the current reading and the previous reading values and datetime for each row.

Step 1: Understanding Requirements

The output table shows:

City, Area, MeterReading, Datetime

PrevMeterReading, PrevDatetime

The prev() function in KQL is used to access the value of a column from the previous row (based on order).

Step 2: Query Construction

We start with filtering:

Readings

| where City == "Copenhagen"

| sort by Datetime

To add columns that calculate the previous reading and previous datetime, we use extend:

| extend PrevMeterReading = prev(MeterReading), PrevDatetime = prev(Datetime)

extend creates new columns.

prev() pulls the previous row’s values.

Finally, we only want specific columns in the output. For this, we use project:

| project City, Area, MeterReading, Datetime, PrevMeterReading, PrevDatetime

Step 3: Completed Query

Readings

| where City == "Copenhagen"

| sort by Datetime

| extend PrevMeterReading = prev(MeterReading), PrevDatetime = prev(Datetime)

| project City, Area, MeterReading, Datetime, PrevMeterReading, PrevDatetime

Why This is Correct

extend adds calculated columns.

prev() gives access to the previous row.

project selects only the required columns.

This matches exactly the table shown in the question.

References

Kusto Query Language - extend operator

Kusto Query Language - project operator

prev() function in KQL

Based on the duration breakdown provided, the major contributor to the rendering duration is categorized as "Other," which is significantly higher than DAX Query and Visual display times. This suggests that the issue is less likely with the DAX calculation or visual rendering times and more likely related to model performance or the complexity of the visual. However, of the options provided, optimizing the DAX query can be a crucial step, even if "Other" factors are dominant. Using DAX Studio, you can analyze and optimize the DAX queries that power your visuals for performance improvements. Here’s how you might proceed:

Open DAX Studio and connect it to your Power BI report.

Capture the DAX query generated by the Orders By Date visual.

Use the Performance Analyzer feature within DAX Studio to analyze the query.

Look for inefficiencies or long-running operations.

Optimize the DAX query by simplifying measures, removing unnecessary calculations, or improving iterator functions.

Test the optimized query to ensure it reduces the overall duration.

When saving a semantic model to a file that can be edited using the Tabular Model Scripting Language (TMSL) extension for Visual Studio Code, the PBIX (Power BI Desktop) file format is the correct choice. The PBIX format contains the report, data model, and queries, and is the primary file format for editing in Power BI Desktop. References = Microsoft's documentation on Power BI file formats and Visual Studio Code provides further clarification on the usage of PBIX files.

The results will form a hierarchy of folders for each partition key. - Yes

The resulting file partitions can be read in parallel across multiple nodes. - Yes

The resulting file partitions will use file compression. - No

Partitioning data by columns such as year, month, and day, as shown in the DataFrame write operation, organizes the output into a directory hierarchy that reflects the partitioning structure. This organization can improve the performance of read operations, as queries that filter by the partitioned columns can scan only the relevant directories. Moreover, partitioning facilitates parallelism because each partition can be processed independently across different nodes in a distributed system like Spark. However, the code snippet provided does not explicitly specify that file compression should be used, so we cannot assume that the output will be compressed without additional context.

References =

DataFrame write partitionBy

Apache Spark optimization with partitioning

Comprehensive Detailed Explanation

From the case study:

Research division data for Productline2 is currently in CSV format in storage2.

Requirement: “All the Research division data in the lakehouses must be presented as managed tables in Lakehouse explorer.”

In Fabric lakehouses, managed tables are stored in Delta format inside the Tables folder.

Step 1: Reading the source

df = spark.read.format("csv") \

options(header="true", inferSchema="true") \

load("abfss://storage1.dfs.core.windows.net/files/productline2")

This correctly ingests the CSV source from ADLS Gen2.

Step 2: Writing to Lakehouse as a managed table

You must write the data in Delta format to ensure it is queryable and managed within the lakehouse.

The correct path is under Tables/, because this is where Fabric automatically manages Lakehouse managed tables.

The target table should be named productline2, so the correct path is:

df.write.mode("overwrite").format("delta").save("Tables/productline2")

Why not other options?

CSV or Parquet formats would not create a managed Lakehouse table; they would just create files.

Writing to productline2 directly (without Tables/) would store unmanaged files in the Lakehouse Files area, not managed tables.

Writing to Tables/research/productline2 adds an unnecessary subdirectory and is not the standard structure for managed tables.

Correct Final Code

df.write.mode("overwrite").format("delta").save("Tables/productline2")

References

Managed tables in Microsoft Fabric Lakehouse

Delta Lake support in Fabric

Spark write to Lakehouse

A lakehouse (C) should be recommended for the AnalyticsPOC workspace. It combines the capabilities of a data warehouse with the flexibility of a data lake. A lakehouse supports semi-structured and unstructured data and allows for T-SQL and Python read access, fulfilling the technical requirements outlined for Litware. References = For further understanding, Microsoft's documentation on the lakehouse architecture provides insights into how it supports various data types and analytical operations.

For ingesting customer data into the data store in the AnalyticsPOC workspace, a dataflow (D) should be recommended. Dataflows are designed within the Power BI service to ingest, cleanse, transform, and load data into the Power BI environment. They allow for the low-code ingestion and transformation of data as needed by Litware's technical requirements. References = You can learn more about dataflows and their use in Power BI environments in Microsoft's Power BI documentation.

For the semantic model design required for the customer satisfaction report, the choices for data source authentication method and mode should be made based on security and performance considerations as per the case study provided.

Authentication method: The data should be accessed securely, and given that row-level security (RLS) is required for users executing T-SQL queries, you should use an authentication method that supports RLS. Service principal authentication is suitable for automated and secure access to the data, especially when the access needs to be controlled programmatically and is not tied to a specific user's credentials.

Mode: The report needs to show data as soon as it is updated in the data store, and it should only contain data from the current and previous year. DirectQuery mode allows for real-time reporting without importing data into the model, thus meeting the need for up-to-date data. It also allows for RLS to be implemented and enforced at the data source level, providing the necessary security measures.

Based on these considerations, the selections should be:

Authentication method: Service principal authentication

Mode: DirectQuery